1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a system for protecting a target, such as an armored vehicle, a bunker or the like from missiles.
The said target is for example an battle tank or an armoured personnel carrier, a shelter or dugout, a bunker or the like.
To provide protection for armoured vehicles from missiles, use is made for example of what is known as active armouring in which explosive charges are disposed on or between the armour plates of the armoured vehicle. The explosive charges are fired by the missile when it impinges on the armoured vehicle, whereby the impinging missile is deflected or destroyed. A tandem explosive head which at the explosive head tip has a hollow charge as well as a second explosive head was developed for use against active armouring of that kind. The hollow charge at the tip of the tandem explosive head is intended to fire the active armouring and the second explosive head is then intended to weld through the armouring at the correspondingly unprotected location thereof. That means however that such active armouring, as is described for example in the German journal `P.M.` issue 17, 10/1987, represents only limited protection.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
DE 41 28 313 A1 discloses a guided missile with a fragmentation-effect active portion which can be initiated in dependence on proximity, for providing protection in particular against a tactical warhead which enters along a steep re-entry path at high relative speed. That guided missile is designed for active optimisation at the target without a high level of additional expenditure on sensor means for initiation of the active defence portion. For that purpose the function of a distance fuse is taken over by a search head of the preadjusted missile itself, insofar as in addition to determining the target angle for actuation of control means of the guided missile and for orientation of the fragmentation-effect active angle in the search head the relative approach speed as between the guided missile and the warhead to be combatted as well as continuously the reducing distance between the two are measured. Although that known guided missile is suitable for at least greatly reducing or eliminating the effect of the threat, that is to say the action of a tactical warhead, outside a lethal distance from the target, its structural or apparatus expenditure is however still correspondingly high.
The invention is based on the problem of providing a protective system of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification, which, while being of a comparatively simple configuration, affords a good option of protection against the large number of existing means of attack.